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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: kid · sharp · key · track · stem · cold · spell · lash

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. spell — letters
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cold — not warm
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. key — in music
  15. kid — to tease
  16. spell — magic
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. kid — child
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. track — to keep track
  21. stem — to come from
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. sharp — clever
  24. lash — a whip stroke

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com